Introduction:

Spanish is a Romance language that originated in the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a global language with nearly 500 million native speakers, mainly in Spain and the Americas. It is the world’s second-most spoken native language after Mandarin Chinese, and the world’s fourth-most spoken language overall after English, Mandarin Chinese, and Hindi. Today, you can earn and save money by doing various things. It is a false belief that only doctors, scientists, and lawyers can earn a lot of money. Anyway, being a translator can bring many benefits, so if you are bilingual and your second language is Spanish, try to become a Spanish translator and increase your earnings.

What Is a Spanish Translator?

The basic duty of a Spanish translator is to convert documents from Spanish to another language or vice versa.

Many people confuse translators and interpreters and sometimes the terms are used interchangeably, but the two are very different. A Spanish translator works with written texts while an interpreter only works with the spoken language.

Requirements For Being A Spanish Translator

• Many people think that it is enough just to know two languages in order to become a translator. It is not true. A good translator, in addition to languages, must also understand the culture of the people who speak those languages in order to translate well. If you decide to be a freelance translator in Spanish, you have to be serious and put efforts in your business.
• As a new translator, you will not become rich immediately. There are not too many translators who earn much at the beginning; but it does not mean that you cannot earn. You will learn with time how you can do this.

Who Hires Spanish Translators?

• The need for translators is on the rise. In fact, translator and interpreter jobs are growing at a much faster rate than typical, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics—an expected increase in the industry of 18% is forecast by 2026.
• Many government agencies hire translators to help facilitate smooth interactions between the government and citizens. You can expect to translate a wide variety of very formal, dense texts if you choose to work for a government agency.
• Hospitals hire translators to work with medical records. You would need extensive knowledge of medical vocabulary and if you are interested in interpreting as well, excellent interpersonal skills.
• Law firms also hire translators on a regular basis. A strong understanding of legal terminology in both languages is essential for this position.
• In addition, any company or organization that deals in Spanish-speaking locations may need a translator for both business-to-business and business-to-customer documents.

• Become Fluent (or Advanced) in Spanish

This is a very obvious requirement, but you will need to have an excellent grasp of the Spanish language if you want to become a translator.

Before you check off this step, you should test your Spanish. It is easy to misjudge your own level of fluency so it is crucial to get an honest opinion. To do so, you can take a proficiency test to find out where you stand.

You should be ranking at the highest level of proficiency if you intend to become a Spanish translator. If you are not there yet, then do not continue onto step two just yet. Instead, keep working on your Spanish skills until you are at a more advanced level.

Most translators specialize in a specific area of translation, like health or business, so their knowledge of a single area of vocabulary is comprehensive. If you have a translator career in your sights, it is a good idea to choose your specialty early on and work toward improving your vocabulary and general knowledge of that particular area of interest.

• Get Certified

Some employers require at least a bachelor’s degree in Spanish or specifically in translation. However, many places will accept a certificate of proficiency, as well.

This is especially true if you are interested in translating in a field that you have experience with—for example, if you worked as a nurse for a few years, you might have better luck getting a job as a translator for a healthcare service even if you do not have the relevant degree.

To get certified, you will need to take a special program. These are offered in many places around the US (and worldwide) so check your area for opportunities. If you are located in the US, two good programs to look into are offered by the University of North Georgia and the University of Massachusetts Boston.

One of the most common certificates of Spanish competency is offered through the American Translators Association (ATA). This professional organization certifies translators through a test, which costs $525. The results are accepted by many employers as official proof of competency in the language.

• Boost Your Resume

As you begin to explore translator jobs, you may realize that most require extensive experience. Luckily, this experience does not need to be paid work and there are many places that would welcome your translation services as a volunteer.

Check with a local nonprofit organization, a religious institution or even the nearby school—these are all places that could always use a translator and many would be happy to allow you to practice with them as they will also benefit from this. It is a win-win situation!

• Apply to Jobs

The last step is not as easy as it sounds. As with any other industry, landing a job as a translator can be a difficult task, especially if you are a beginner.

Keep in mind that you will likely have to start with an entry-level job and work your way up to a better position over time. If you are working as a freelancer, you might have to take some lower-paying jobs first. Any experience is something you can add to your resume, which will lead to better and better offers—so stick with it!

There are many resources online that you can use to find and secure a good Spanish translation job. You can check job search sites like indeed or professional social networking sites like LinkedIn. There is also a dedicated job search to find government jobs.

• Promote yourself

Promoting yourself is essential for starting as a successful translator. A few translators may find it insulting. There are many translators who are not professional and get a lot of work because of good promotion. Likewise, there are many good translators but with poor business, because they are bad at promoting themselves.

• Keep Learning!

As you progress as a translator/interpreter, there are other areas to consider as well. What specialized industry or industries can you translate or interpret for? Do you keep up with industry terms and trends? Are you computer savvy and knowledgeable regarding translation memory software? Can you provide simultaneous as well as consecutive interpreting? If you have had success as a translator, maybe you could consider diversifying and becoming a certified court or medical interpreter. Overall I hope I have not discouraged anyone from becoming a translator or interpreter. 

• Conclusion:

As you start your journey to become a Spanish translator, remember to constantly improve your language skills. Languages are dynamic and change over time, so your own skills will have to keep up. You might get lucky and land an amazing job right away or the process may take a long time. Do not get discouraged! Believe in yourself and your skills, and you can get your dream job of being a Spanish translator.